Written Answers Friday 5 February 2010

Scottish Executive

Children

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to ensure that children under five with communication difficulties are identified and treated.

Shona Robison: The Early Years Framework demonstrates the Scottish Government’s commitment to early intervention to ensure that a child receives the support they need, as quickly as possible.

  The programme of routine screening is set out in the Scottish Government guidance Health for all Children. The guidance is firmly rooted in the need for an integrated approach to the delivery of services and support for children and families, co-ordinated in the early years through health but working in partnership with other professionals, in childcare and education, supported by clear routes for liaison, consultation and referral to health professionals when there are clear concerns through the Getting it right for every child methodology.

  Within the context of the concordat and the National Performance Framework, it is for NHS boards and local authorities to design and determine the level of services provided to meet the needs of children and young people with communication difficulties under the age of five, based on local priorities and clinical need.

  The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, which places an important emphasis on multi-agency working, places duties on education authorities to identify, meet and keep under review the additional support needs of all children, including those with communication difficulties, for whose education they are responsible. Appropriate agencies, including NHS boards, are required to assist an education authority in the exercise of any of its functions under the act.

  The Scottish Government has just completed a consultation on Draft guidance on partnership working between allied health professionals (AHPs) and education. The final guidance and resources, which is intended to support school staff and AHPs to work more effectively as partners in supporting children and young people, will be published before June 2010.

Concessionary Travel

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many registered holders of entitlement cards under the free bus travel scheme there were in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scotland-Wide Free Bus Travel for Older and Disabled People Scheme is delivered through the National Entitlement Card, a multi-application smartcard developed by Scotland’s local authorities with the support of the Scottish Government.

  Information available to Transport Scotland indicates that, at 31 March 2008, 1,162,000 National Entitlement Cards had been issued under the Scotland-Wide Free Bus Travel for Older and Disabled People Scheme. This figure rose to 1,260,000 by 31 March 2009.

Education

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-30829, S3W-30830, S3W-30831 and S3W-30832 by Adam Ingram on 26 January 2010, what additional support needs advocacy service will be available to parents between July 2010 and the start of the autumn term.

Adam Ingram: Ministers are still to decide in the light of proposals which are currently being developed for the new national advocacy service to support parents and young people in Tribunal proceedings under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009.

Education

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-30829, S3W-30830, S3W-30831 and S3W-30832 by Adam Ingram on 26 January 2010, whether ministers are aware of the support that organisations such as Independent Special Education Advice give parents and children with additional support needs over the summer months.

Adam Ingram: Yes.

Freedom of Information

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 have been rejected as invalid in each month from January 2006 to January 2010.

Bruce Crawford: This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Glasgow Airport Rail Link

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, given the CO 2 emissions from surface traffic accessing Glasgow Airport, what impact the cancellation of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link will have on its target to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3O-8422 on 12 November 2009, which indicates that the maximum reduction in the peak pm traffic occurs in 2030 and would see traffic reduce by 21 cars in an hour.

  We would therefore only expect there to be a negligible impact on our target to reduce carbon emissions as a result of cancelling the GARL project.

  All answers to parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Glasgow Airport Rail Link

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many requests for information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 in the period since July 2009 have related to the Glasgow Airport Rail Link and, of those, how many have been (a) accepted and (b) refused.

Stewart Stevenson: In the period from July 2009 to date a total of 14 requests for information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 relating to the Glasgow Airport Rail Link have been received. All of the requests have received a response broken down as requested: (a) nine were accepted, with full information being released in five instances and partial information being released in the remaining four instances, and (b) five requests were refused.

Glasgow Airport Rail Link

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the (a) estimated capital value and (b) timescale of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link compares with the original project cost and timescale estimates.

Stewart Stevenson: The original cost and timescale of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) project are set out in the following table:

  Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) Cost (All Figures in £ Million) and Schedule

  

Date
Out turn Cost Range
Anticipated Final Cost
Timeframe for Delivery


March 2006
170 – 210
187.5
Q1/2010



  As the Paisley Corridor re-signalling (PCR) project would have led to significant closures of GARL, the decision was taken to merge the projects and align the timescales. Following the combination of the GARL project with the PCR renewal project, (GARL/PCR), the last estimate of the combined project, at the point where the branch line element was cancelled, are set out in the following table:

  Glasgow Airport Rail Link/Paisley Corridor Renewal (GARL/PCR) Cost (All Figures in £ Million) and Schedule

  

Date
Out turn Cost Range
Anticipated Final Cost
Timeframe for Delivery


September 2009
386 – 408
397.5
Q3/2013



  March 2006 was the first time that the project cost had been expressed in out turn figures previously having been expressed in Q4/2004 prices (£160 million Q4/2004 equating to £170 million to £210 million Q1/2010 out turn). The out turn cost includes an assessment of the likely impact of cost indexation within the rail / construction industry over the lifecycle of the projects delivery.

Justice

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the Cabinet Secretary for Justice has contacted the Libyan authorities regarding the condition of Mr Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi.

Kenny MacAskill: The conditions of his licence require him to provide a monthly report on his medical condition to his supervising officer, and I am aware of the content of those reports.

Justice

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions ministers or officials have had with East Renfrewshire Council regarding the condition of Mr Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi.

Kenny MacAskill: Scottish Government officials are in contact with the supervising officer nominated by the Director of the Community Health and Care Partnership of East Renfrewshire Council. We are aware of the content of the monthly reports on Mr Al-Megrahi’s medical condition provided to his supervising officer.

Justice

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make public all medical reports submitted to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice on Mr Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi prior to the decision to release him.

Kenny MacAskill: Mr Al-Megrahi’s application for compassionate release, the medical report submitted to me and the associated advice have been published. They are available at:

  www.scotland.gov.uk/lockerbie.

Justice

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to institute inquiries in areas other than planning and what consideration has been given to setting up an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the conviction of Mr Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi and subsequent events relating to the Lockerbie bombing.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Ministers have powers under the Inquiries Act 2005 to establish an inquiry where it appears to them that particular events have caused, or are capable of causing, public concern. The terms of reference and powers of such an inquiry are restricted by section 28 of that act.

  In my statement on 20 August 2009, I acknowledged that there remain concerns to some on the wider issues of the Lockerbie atrocity; that this is a global issue, and international in its nature. I said that the questions to be asked and answered are beyond the jurisdiction of Scots law and the restricted remit of the Scottish Government. If a further inquiry were felt to be appropriate then it should be initiated by those with the required power and authority. The Scottish Government would be happy to fully co-operate in such an inquiry.

Justice

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to meet relatives of the people killed in the Lockerbie bombing.

Kenny MacAskill: I have recently accepted a request for a meeting from members of the UK Families Flight 103 Group.

Justice

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has of a relationship between communication impairment and offending.

Kenny MacAskill: Communication impairment is a widespread characteristic of offenders and arises from a range of causes, most commonly from low educational attainment. Poor ability with verbal expression and reasoning is likely to predispose to more aggressive responses to challenge. The Scottish Government is aware of research in this field focussing on offenders with potential clinical needs relating to speech and language, including that highlighted by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) to the Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee.

Justice

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has of a relationship between low levels of education, particularly poor literacy skills, and offending.

Kenny MacAskill: The report Offender Learning: Options for Improvement was published on 14 January 2010 and makes recommendations and observations for offender learning in Scotland. It is recognised that offender behaviour patterns may be influenced by a wide range of issues, including social deprivation, negative peer pressure and poor educational attainment. The report identified that learning and skills acquisition, including improved literacy and numeracy, could be a contributing factor to the route out of offending.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines are available for NHS treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Shona Robison: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guidance CG31 provides guidelines on NHS treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder. Full guidance can be found at http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG31.

  Healthcare professionals in Scotland use NICE guidelines in considering clinical care.

Ophthalmology

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30594 by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 January 2010, whether the number of ophthalmology outpatients could be reduced by greater use of community optometrists.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards can make arrangements with optometrists to provide services on their behalf which are normally carried out in a hospital setting. Under these services accredited optometrists with appropriate training can provide a range of services on behalf of the board such as low vision aid services, Glasgow integrated eye service and Lothian optometry cataract initiative. £2.6 million of pump priming funding has been made available through NHS boards to further develop eye care services in the community.

Police

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions for using a mobile phone while driving have been undertaken in each police board area and whether guidance is being considered for police forces on dealing with this issue.

Kenny MacAskill: The majority of mobile phone offences are dealt with by police conditional offers rather than court prosecutions. In 2007-08, the latest year for which information is available, an estimated 18,856 offences of driving while using a mobile phone were dealt with by police conditional offers.

  The available information on court prosecutions is given in the following table.

  Persons Proceeded Against 1 in Scottish Courts for Mobile Phone Vehicle Offences2,

  2003-04 to 2007-08

  

Police Force
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08


Central
0
31
83
100
158


Dumfries and Galloway
0
3
17
30
66


Fife
0
0
12
15
41


Grampian
0
18
49
36
75


Lothian and Borders
0
31
74
187
204


Northern
0
12
21
30
47


Strathclyde
1
108
264
235
440


Tayside
0
52
121
194
200


Unknown
0
0
1
0
1


All
1
255
642
827
1,232



  Notes:

  1. Where main offence.

  2. Includes offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 sections 41D(b) and 42. A small number of proceedings under these sections may relate to use of vehicles offences other than mobile phone offences.

  Legislation on the use of mobile phones whilst driving is reserved. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service works in close partnership with ACPOS to resolve any national difficulties in the investigation of all criminal offences in Scotland, and procurators fiscal meet regularly with police commanders to resolve issues arising in their own localities.

Rail Services

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the funding package from the Scottish Futures Trust is for the Borders Rail project.

Stewart Stevenson: The Borders Railway will be procured through a Design, Build, Finance Maintain Contract in line with the terms of the Scottish Government’s Non-Profit Distributing (NPD) model. The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), as a member of the Borders Railway Project Board, will assist in utilising the NPD model for the first time on a network infrastructure project. SFT will also work with stakeholders to maximise value for money and minimise the cost of finance through the procurement period. This approach was recently communicated to 58 interested organisations at a market information day held on 20 January 2010.

Rail Services

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3O-9326 by Stewart Stevenson on 28 January 2010, whether it would be willing to discuss the potential for direct Edinburgh to Cardiff rail services with the Welsh Assembly Government with a view to making joint representations to the UK Government if the case for such services appears to be justified.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government is always willing to discuss enhancements to cross border rail services.

  We would need to see clear evidence of the demand for a direct Edinburgh to Cardiff service before beginning discussions with the Welsh Assembly Government.

Rail Services

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the (a) estimated capital value and (b) timescale of the Borders railway project compares with the original project cost and timescale estimates.

Stewart Stevenson: The Waverley Railway (Scotland) Act 2006 received Royal Assent in July 2006. At this stage in the project, the cost was estimated at approximately £130 million at 2002 prices, and a possible completion date in 2011 was proposed. However, there was no commitment at that time to provide sufficient funding, nor to commence construction. Therefore the possible completion date was not deliverable.

  Following a review of the cost and programme estimates this administration has committed to construct the Borders Railway. It is currently anticipated that the Borders Railway will cost between £235 million and £295 million (Q4 2012 prices) to construct, and that the railway will be opened during 2014. These estimates will be validated and refined during the course of the procurement process which has now commenced.

Renewable Energy

Shirley-Anne Somerville (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide further permitted development rights for domestic micro-wind turbines and air source heat pumps.

Stewart Stevenson: Following our initial consultation on permitted development rights in January 2010, an Amendment Order setting out a limited range of permitted development rights for domestic micro-wind turbines and air-source heat pumps will be laid in the Scottish Parliament today.

  A further consultation which sets out additional proposals for extending the scope of permitted development rights for domestic micro-wind turbines and air-source heat pumps has been issued today.

  Copies of the consultation have been placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (Bib number 50132).

Roads

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the (a) estimated capital value and (b) timescale of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route compares with the original project cost and timescale estimates.

Stewart Stevenson: When the preferred line of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route was announced on 2 May 2006 the total scheme cost estimate was £295-£395 million with construction commencing in 2009. A substantial public enquiry was subsequently required in response to the over 9000 objections. Consequently, construction is expected to start in 2011.

  The current estimated total scheme cost for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route is £295-£395 million. This estimated cost will be reviewed and updated once the statutory procedures are completed and prior to the commencement of the procurement process.

Schools

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that capital grant-funded schools have been designed and built to an acceptable standard.

Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30439 on 20 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Scottish Water

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans the Scottish Futures Trust has to support the mutualisation of Scottish Water.

John Swinney: I have asked Barry White, Chief Executive of the Scottish Futures Trust to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), as explained in the SFT’s current Business and Corporate Plans, is involved in working up and assessing options to increase the efficiency of funding for Scottish Water, whilst retaining public ownership, that could be considered by Scottish ministers.

Transport

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions officials and ministers have had with councillors or officials of the City of Edinburgh Council regarding the tram project in the last three months; what subjects were discussed, and whether any alterations to the scheme are envisaged as a result.

Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland officials regularly meet with City of Edinburgh Council officials to review the monthly progress reports. In addition, there have been further meetings within the last three months, covering project finance matters. The leader of the Council, the Transport Convener and the Chief Executive of tie.Ltd, met with the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change on 2 December 2009 to discuss both progress with the Tram and Gogar Station projects. No alterations to the current Tram scheme are envisaged as a result of these meetings.

Transport

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what alterations to the Edinburgh tram project would require (a) ministerial and (b) parliamentary approval.

Stewart Stevenson: The Edinburgh Tram (Line One and Line Two) Acts 2006 provide full Parliamentary powers to the City of Edinburgh Council to construct and operate a tram network in the city. Changes to the route of the tram outside the limits of deviation approved by Parliament would require amendment to the relevant Tram Act, or new powers to be secured by the City of Edinburgh Council. On 27 June 2007, Parliament voted to require the Scottish Government to proceed with the Edinburgh Trams project within the budget limit set by the previous administration, noting that it is the responsibility of Transport Initiatives Edinburgh and the City of Edinburgh Council to meet the balance of the funding costs. Changes to the tram project which affected this arrangement would require ministerial approval.

Transport

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to the conclusions outlined in the Tay Estuary Rail Study submitted to Transport Scotland in June 2009 by the Tayside and Central Scotland Transport Partnership.

Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland is currently examining how the proposals of the Tay Estuary Rail Study align with the Scottish Government’s national priorities as outlined in the Strategic Transport Projects Review.

  Officials expect to respond to the Tayside and Central Scotland Transport Partnership about the study in the spring.

Weather

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings have taken place involving ministers regarding learning from the experience of the recent severe weather period and what action is proposed as a result.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has asked resilience contacts across Scotland to identify lessons which may be learned and applied from the recent period of prolonged winter weather. The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Scottish Government Resilience (CSC SGoR) will meet to consider the findings, including any recommendations for action, once the current Scottish Government Resilience Room lessons learned activity has reported.